THE ABSENT

CRIPPLED HEARTS

SOLIDARITY WITH THE FLESH EATING MOSAIC AND OTHER POEMS by Raj Dronamraju

Out Now

THE RETURN OF THE MAGNIFICENT NINNY AND OTHER POEMS by Raj Dronamraju

My first book of poetry available through Amazon and other online booksellers www.rajbooks.com

Sunday, March 1, 2015

A FEW THOUGHTS ON HOUSE OF CARDS SEASON THREE

Just finished HOUSE OF CARDS
Season Three. Overall, I was a bit
underwhelmed. This season had a lot
fewer dramatic highpoints than the first two and felt more like a transitional
season between the first two more action packed seasons and next year’s potentially
powerful fourth one.

It felt far less dark and
complex and more trivial and about the daily grind of politics both being the president
and campaigning. Frank and Claire
Underwood felt less like Macbeth and Lady Macbeth and more like Bill and
Hillary Clinton or dueling Lyndon Johnsons.

A few thoughts.... (SPOILERS below)

1.) I was surprised to see
Doug Stamper at the beginning of the season.
I’d figured they would kill him off after the cliffhanger at the end of
last season. He is a repellent ugly character
and making him even more a focal point was a mistake. It was also anti-climatic to have him kill
off Rachel as he should have done that last season.

2.) I also didn’t get the
writer character Thomas Yates except as a potential homosexual liason for Frank
(which he doesn’t follow through on when he has the chance). It seems like the point of the character was
for the audience to have eyes on the Underwood’s relationship but I don’t pick up any extra insight into that.

3.) I don’t understand Claire and
Frank’s falling out. They have done and
been done much worse and Claire was equally on board. I have a hard time believing she would bail
like that.

4.) Frank himself was not so infallible
this season. Many times he was reactive
or not in control. In particular when
dealing with the sinister and clever Putin-like Russian President Petrov.

6.) The disappearance halfway through the
season of Majority Leader Mendoza I can only assume is because the actor got
another gig as it was handled really awkwardly.
The victim of a speaker fee scandal no one mentioned before, one day he’s
there, the day he’s gone

7.) The appointment of the
feckless Donald Blythe as Vice President was a nice touch.